Zombies, Aliens, and Monsters
Week 12: I am Legend
November 9 through 15
This week we will be watching the movie I am Legend.
Here are some questions to consider this week:
What caused the infection? A clinical study was done that showed the cure for cancer had been found. People began to be injected with the cure, but soon after it mutated their cells and turned them into living zombies. How does this idea of infection relate to our world today?
Why won't Robert leave New York in search of other survivors? Robert is dedicated to staying in New York in order to find the cure for the virus as his wife and daughter were killed during the evacuation. It is now his life's purpose to stay at ground zero in order to have the best odds of finding a viable and replicable cure to save the human race from extinction. Why is this an important part of the plot and storyline?
What is the relationship between Neville and Sam in the narrative? Why is this relationship so important?
Dr. Neville and the narrative of I am Legend are deeply connected to the music and ideology of Bob Marley. How do these ideas work together? What does "light up the darkness" mean to this text?
You can consider any of these ideas in your responses.
Assignments:
Blog/Vlog due by Friday at midnight
You could choose to do a microtheme on this material. It would be due by November 15 by midnight.
Week 13: Contact
November 16 through 20
This week we will be watching the movie Contact. Here are some questions to consider while reading and responding with your blog/vlog:
The film implies that there is a conflict between science, on the one hand, and belief in a supreme being, on the other. For most religious traditions, there is simply no such conflict. Religion and science seek answers to very different questions.
A second assumption embedded in the film that requires comment is the idea that the existence of extraterrestrial life would somehow challenge religious beliefs. For most religions, the concept of the supreme being is universal and would include all beings, including aliens.
How would you answer Palmer Joss’ question: ” … [A]re we happier as a human race? Is the world fundamentally a better place because of science and technology? We shop at home, we surf the web, but at the same time, we feel emptier, lonelier, and more cut off from each other than at any other time in history…. Maybe it’s because we’re looking for the meaning. Well, what is the meaning? We have mindless jobs. We take frantic vacations, deficit finance trips to the mall to buy more things that we feel are gonna fill these holes in our lives. Is it any wonder that we’ve lost our sense of direction?”
At the end of the film Ellie Arroway says:
I had an experience I can’t prove, I can’t even explain it, but everything that I know as a human being, everything that I am, tells me that it was real. I was part of something wonderful, something that changed me forever; a vision of the universe that tells us undeniably how tiny, and insignificant, and how rare and precious we all are. A vision that tells us we belong to something that is greater than ourselves. That we are not, that none of us are alone. I wish I could share that. I wish that everyone, if even for one moment, could feel that awe, and humility, and the hope, but … that continues to be my wish.
What other type of person would talk like this? What does this passage mean to you? Would the Ellie Arroway at the beginning of the film have said something like this?
Assignments:
Blog/Vlog due by Friday at midnight
Week 14: Thanksgiving Break
November 23 through 29
This week we will be on Thanksgiving Break.
Week 15: Santa Clarita Diet
November 30 through December 6
This week we will be watching Season 1: Episode 1 of Santa Clarity Diet on Netflix.
Have fun with this one! It is up to you!
Assignments:
Blog/Vlog due by Friday at midnight